Putin's First Visit to Disputed Kurils Draws Tokyo Protest

Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the Kuril Islands on Thursday, touring a fish plant, hospital and school on Iturup, one of the volcanic chain's southern islands claimed by both Russia and Japan.

Japan calls the islands the Northern Territories and asserts historical and legal rights to the four southernmost islands. The Soviet Union seized them from Japan in the final days of World War II, and the unresolved dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a formal peace treaty.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Japan "strongly protests" the visit, calling the islands "Japan's inherent territory both historically and from the perspective of international law." He summoned Russian Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev to lodge the protest and asked him to relay the message to Moscow.

The Russian Embassy in Japan dismissed the protest as "unfounded," saying the southern Kuril Islands became part of Russia "following World War II on legitimate international grounds" and that Putin's travels are "sovereign decisions" not subject to discussion with foreign states.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the visit "absolutely unacceptable" and said it had further strained already-tense relations, which have deteriorated since Japan imposed sanctions on Russia over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. "We must say this visit has further hardened Japanese public sentiment toward Russia," she said.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, responded on social media that Takaichi's remarks were mere "chatter" that "won't change a thing," insisting the islands "were, are, and will remain Russian land."

Before visiting Iturup, Putin attended naval drills by Russia's Pacific Fleet near Sakhalin Island, where he said Moscow remained open to a peace treaty with Japan despite the current territorial dispute. Japan previously protested a 2021 visit to Iturup by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.